SCARBOROUGH, Tobago, CMC—Less than a month after announcing that he would establish a special team to address the issue of Tobago’s autonomy, the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Farley Augustine, says he intends to seek international assistance to achieve freedom for the island.
“The very presence of so many diplomats by way of ambassadors and representatives of missions at the awards ceremony is that Tobago can signal to the international community, and I want you to listen closely, that we are prepared to engage you in this our fight for the right to self-determination by the universal declaration of human rights, the international covenant of civil and political rights and the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights,” Augustine told the Tobago Day awards at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex.
“Let me be pellucidly clear: you see, in this country, if this central government won’t grant Tobagonians this fundamental right, Tobagonians are prepared to go to the international community to get it.
“Any island, any people, any nation, no matter how small, should never be deprived of its right to seek self-determination for such a long time,” he told the ceremony.
Last month, in an address to Tobagonians on the issue of autonomy, Augustin said the team conducting the public discussions would be apolitical. The former University of the West Indies (UWI) lecturer, Dr. Winford James, will lead it.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley recently said that his ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) administration intends to bring the two autonomy bills before the joint select committee to Parliament for a vote early in the current session.
But Augustine made it clear that Tobago would not accept anything inferior to what was proposed back in 2013 when then prime minister Kamla Persad Bissessar dismissed suggestions that her coalition People’s Partnership government was introducing legislation to grant greater autonomy to Tobago ahead of the January 21 election for control of the THA.
However, opposition leader Rowley described the proposed amendment to the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution as a “fish with feathers” and reiterated that the PNM would not support the initiative that needs a special majority in the Parliament to get the green light.
In his address to the Tobago Day awards earlier this week, Augustine urged Tobagonians to remain faithful to the cause.
“This is the time for us to push for progress. This is the time when we cannot tire as we fight for legislative change that affects present and future generations,” he said. He also believes it is time for the THA to be strengthened and accorded more authority to govern Tobago effectively.
“There is a saying that we have here in Tobago: ‘Nobody could mind our business better than we,’ and this means that no one else looks out for our interests like the Tobagonian.
“Granted, there are some Tobagonians. When they depart our shores, you question their DNA.
“That aside, you are the fiercest advocate to advance our affairs. This sums up our aspirations for increased autonomy here in Tobago.
Augustine recalled when former president and prime minister the late ANR Robinson introduced the motion for internal self-government in the assembly in 1977: “It was about placing Tobago’s affairs fairly and squarely where that responsibility belongs, in the hands of the residents of Tobago themselves.”
He said as the island celebrates the 44th year of the modern THA, Tobago continues to demand four things: equality of status between the two islands and a legislative framework reflecting such equality; a federal type system of governance; a definition of the boundaries of each island which must be placed within the Constitution; and the responsibility of the Tobago administration to formulate and implement policy on all matters affecting the lives of Tobagonians.
“Therefore, this is about taking better care of ourselves and ensuring increased autonomy through the vehicle of the assembly. Most importantly, it is about ensuring that autonomy reflects and captures the genuine desires of Tobagonians, which are not always the case.”
Augustine said that this year, the THA will offer a Reginald Dumas scholarship award to public officers to honor the legacy of the late retired head of public service. Dumas died on March 7, at age 88, at the Scarborough General Hospital, days after surgery for a gastro-intestinal condition.
Augustine said every year, a public officer will be granted a full scholarship to study a subject matter deemed critical to the needs of the public service in Tobago.
and then 